Plenty of Sunshine Ahead: Smok'n Frolic, Ivanavinalot Return to Fla.

Dogwood Stable's Smok'n Frolic has returned to the Palm Meadows training center after a successful trip to Santa Anita where she won the Sunshine Millions $750,000 Vessels Stallion Farm Sunshine Millions Distaff on Jan. 25.

"I got her back early in the week," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "She ran a big race to win the Distaff and, unfortunately, I couldn't be there to saddle her. I came down with a stomach virus. In fact, my whole family came down with the virus. But, she's back in her stall at Palm Meadows and is doing very well."

Smok'n Frolic, the winner of the Cotillion Handicap (gr. II) in her prior start at Philadelphia Park, rallied from ninth place to win the Distaff going away by 2 1/2 lengths under jockey Jerry Bailey. She took down a winning prize of $410,000. The 4-year-old filly is by Smoke Glacken, out of the Green Dancer mare Cherokyfrolicflash.

"I had pointed her for the Sunshine Millions ever since I heard about it," Pletcher said. "Now I'll point her toward the Rampart Handicap (gr. II, $200,000 for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on March 1) at Gulfstream."

Gilbert Campbell's Ivanavinalot was the best 2-year-old filly to race in Florida last year and she almost extended her supremacy to the West Coast when she finished a game second in the $250,000 John Deere Sunshine Millions Oaks at Santa Anita on Jan. 25.

"She came out of the race in good shape," trainer Kathleen O'Connell said of Ivanavinalot. "Fact is, she shipped a lot better than I did. If everything goes all right, then I plan on running her back in those two 3-year-old filly stakes at Gulfstream."

O'Connell was referring to the $150,000 Davona Dale Stakes (gr. III) at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 23 and the $200,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes (gr. II) at 1 1/8 miles on March 14.

"She really battled in the Oaks," O'Connell said. "She didn't care for that hard race track and had trouble getting comfortable with it. She also was having trouble changing leads but she battled right to the end. It was a courageous effort and we're all very proud of her."

Ivanavinalot was riding a three-race win streak at Calder Race Course last fall when she rattled off a 10-length victory in the Susan's Girl division of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Aug. 31; a five-length score in the Brave Raj Stakes on Sept. 21; and a 13 1/2-length tally in the My Dear Girl division of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Oct. 12. She was among the leading candidates for the Long John Silver's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) at Arlington Park before being scratched just prior to the race because of a minor illness.

The dark bay or brown filly was making her first start in three and a half-months when she started in the seven-furlong Oaks. She forced the early pace from the start, wore down the early pacesetter but couldn't hold off Atlantic Ocean.